Wallabies coach banks on injured trio to be fit for first Lions Test

Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt expects key forwards Rob Valetini and Will Skelton and halfback Jake Gordon will be fit for the start of the blockbuster series against the British and Irish Lions, despite overlooking the trio for Sunday’s Test against Fiji in Newcastle.

Schmidt said all three were “very close” close to overcoming niggling injuries, but he had opted to err on the side of caution when selecting his squad. Valetini and Skelton have been hindered by calf strains, while Gordon is racing to return from a hamstring problem.

“They’re doing great,” Schmidt said on Friday. “Will and Bobby, they trained well, albeit not with the side. But they’re hitting some good speeds and their movement is good.

“Jake trained with the side so he’s very close to being able to play. I’d be very confident all three of those guys will be ready to train at the start of the week for that first lead-in to the British and Irish Lions first Test, but for this week, it was probably a week too soon.”

The opening Test against the Lions will be played at Suncorp Stadium on July 19, which gives the injured trio a fortnight to prove their fitness.

Schmidt confirmed No.8 Harry Wilson has been retained as skipper but said it was not necessarily a long-term appointment.

“It’s for this Test, at the moment,” Schmidt said. “We’ve got a really good, strong leadership group and they share the responsibility of leadership, so I think from that perspective, Harry’s become a familiar leader for us and I think it was comfortable.

“We’re trying to pick up where we left off, effectively. And where we left off, Harry was leading the team and it allows other guys just to do their own role and not get too much distracted by any leadership role.

“Captain is a label and it’s a responsibility and there are actions associated with it, but those actions are also something we expect to be demonstrated by the broader leadership group.”

He added that the passion Wilson shows whenever he wears the Wallabies jersey is “contagious” and inspires his teammates.

Schmidt said the Wallabies are approaching the Sunday’s Test against the Fijians, who famously beat them in a major boilover at the 2023 World Cup last time the two sides met, as the launchpad for a big 2025 campaign.

“I think it’s just been more about us just trying to get a little bit of rhythm for ourselves,” he said. “We feel like we’ve got a very short runway into this game and then into the games that follow.

“We’ve got a massive Test schedule this year with 15 Test matches, so it is all about trying to get ourselves organised to hit the ground running.”

Flanker Langi Gleeson, who has signed to play in France later this year, has won a recall on the back of his impressive Super Rugby form.

“My hope with Langi is that his sojourn in France doesn’t last too long and he comes back,” Schmidt said. “He hasn’t signed for too long, so I’m hopeful that he’ll be back. He’ll be doing what he was doing during Super Rugby this year. If you look at him, I think he was one of the form back-rowers in the Australian game.”

The coach said his decision to send prop Taniela Tupou back to the Waratahs, who tonight play the Lions at Allianz Stadium, would hopefully provide him with an opportunity to push for a recall to the national team.

“With Taniela, I’d love to see him tomorrow night just be really, really strong at set piece,” Schmidt said.

“I think the set piece is somewhere that can be a real strength for him and I felt in the Super Rugby, towards the end, he had some pretty good performances, particularly in the scrum.

“And then just making sure he’s contributing around the field as best he can. The last game he played for us was against Ireland. He made a 50-metre dash up the field at one stage, and he was very strong in the scrum and so we haven’t forgotten that.

“I’m hoping, and I’ve spoken to ‘Nella’, that he hasn’t forgotten it either. He knows he’s capable and we just want to see him demonstrate that capability tomorrow night.”

In Tupou’s absence, the Wallabies will start with James Slipper and Allan Alaalatoa in the front row, with Billy Pollard and Angus Bell to provide reinforcement.

“Those two guys [Pollard and Bell] coming on, we’re pretty excited about what they can bring off the bench,” he said.

With the shock loss at the World Cup still a painful memory for a number of Wallabies players, they won’t be underestimating Fiji.

“We certainly respect the Fijians … we know that if we are inaccurate that they will punish us, and that their set-piece has really improved, which gives them a platform now to invite themselves into the game without us helping them do that,” Schmidt said.

Backline matchwinners Joseph Suaalii (broken jaw) and Max Jorgensen (ankle) were both named, despite being sidelined with injuries during the Super Rugby season.

All nine matches of The British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia are live & on demand on Stan Sport, with Wallabies Tests in 4K. All Test matches live and free on Channel 9 & 9Now.

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